Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, Final Management Plan And
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Monitor 2013 Final Management Plan and Environmental Assessment Monitor National Marine Sanctuary 2013 Final Management Plan and Environmental National Marine Sanctuary Final Management Plan and Environmental Assessment February 2013 United States Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries FINAL MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Monitor National Marine Sanctuary February 2013 _________ _____________ 2013 FINAL MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT I Front Cover: NOAA archaeologist surveys Monitor wreck site, summer 2011 (NOAA). Back Cover: Portion of Monitor drawing published in 1862 (The Mariners’ Museum). Monitor National Marine Sanctuary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606 http://monitor.noaa.gov Recommended citation: U.S. Department of Commerce. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 2013. Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Final Management Plan. Silver Spring, MD. II MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY Above: Monitor officers on deck. Photo taken on July 9, 1862, by James Gibson (Library of Congress). 2013 FINAL MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT III About This Document This document is a result of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ (ONMS) periodic review of the strategies and activities detailed in the 1992 Final Management Plan and the emerging resource protec- tion issues for Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (MNMS or sanctuary). Between 1998 and 2002, NOAA and the United States Navy conducted a major archaeological recovery effort which resulted in over 2,000 artifacts being excavated, conserved and curated from the shipwreck of the USS Monitor. Most notably, this project resulted in the recovery of the Civil War ironclad’s revolv- ing gun turret and engine. During this recovery period, the sanctuary was guided by an interim manage- ment plan, which dealt specifically with the archaeological recovery titledCharting a New Course for the Monitor, which was released in 1997. Typically a management plan review is conducted at a sanctuary every five years. A sanctuary management plan is a site-specific planning and management document that describes the goals, objectives, policies, management strategies, and activities for a sanctuary. This document is the result of numerous public hearings, and many years of effort by the sanctuary advisory council and sanc- tuary staff. This document is the 2013 Final Management Plan and Environmental Assessment that outlines the program activities for MNMS over the next five years and beyond, along with staffing and budget needs, and performance measures. Comments or questions on this Final Management Plan should be directed to: David W. Alberg Superintendent NOAA - Monitor National Marine Sanctuary 100 Museum Dr. Newport News, VA 77551 (757) 591-7326 [email protected] IV MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY Figure 1: National Marine Sanctuary System 2013 FINAL MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT V Above: The first encounter of Iron-Clads.Terrific engagement between the “Monitor” and “Merrimac.” Published-Chicago : The McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., ca. 1891 Mar. 2 (Library of Congress). Opposite page: Map depicting location of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA). VI MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY Figure 2: Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Map 2013 FINAL MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT VII Table of Contents ABBREVIATIons XI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY XIII Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries ................................................................................................................. 1 ONMS Program Goals ........................................................................................................................................... 2 The National Marine Sanctuary System ................................................................................................................ 3 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary ......................................................................................................................... 10 Background and History ...................................................................................................................................... 10 Sanctuary Designation ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Building a New Management Plan ..................................................................................................................... 16 Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Environmental Setting ......................................................................................................................................... 24 The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report .......................................................................... 28 Vessel Condition ................................................................................................................................................... 32 Monitor Artifact Conservation ............................................................................................................................ 35 Administration and Sanctuary Management ............................................................................................ 39 Office of National Marine Sanctuaries ................................................................................................................ 39 Sanctuary Management ......................................................................................................................................... 39 Staffing .................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Sanctuary Superintendent ................................................................................................................................... 40 Monitor NMS Headquarters & The Mariners’ Museum ........................................................................................ 41 U.S. Coast Guard .......................................................................................................................................................... 42 U.S. Navy ........................................................................................................................................................................ 43 Other Public and Private Partners ............................................................................................................................. 43 VIII MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY Action Plans .......................................................................................................................................... 47 Resource Protection ..................................................................................................................................................... 52 Education and Outreach ............................................................................................................................................. 61 Archaeological Research ............................................................................................................................................. 70 Resource Monitoring ................................................................................................................................................... 79 Monitor Sailors ............................................................................................................................................................. 87 Artifact Conservation .................................................................................................................................................. 95 Expansion ................................................................................................................................................................... 102 Operations and Administration ............................................................................................................................... 108 Programmatic Environmental Assessment ............................................................................................ 119 Appendices .......................................................................................................................................... 141 Appendix A: National Marine Sanctuaries Act ..................................................................................................... 142 Appendix B: Final Regulations for Monitor NMS ................................................................................................ 169 Appendix C: The Mariners’ Museum: Programmatic Agreement ..................................................................... 172 Appendix D: Amendment to The Mariners’ Museum Programmatic Agreement .......................................... 184 Appendix E: The Mariners’ Museum: Curatorial Services Agreement .............................................................